I'm a middle school English teacher and a mom of two beautiful children. I have a really sweet husband. I live in Southern California in fabulous Pasadena. I've just been diagnosed with breast cancer. I figure I should keep track of my breast cancer stuff, so you can keep up with me here.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

There's Really a Baby in There!

I had my first ultrasound this morning. It was so awesome. I was a bit worried, because I had a miscarriage in March, and even though we got pregnant again really quickly, I just wanted reassurance that things were good. At my ten week midwife appointment, we weren't able to hear the heartbeat yet. So I was really anxious to receive further evidence that things were ok.

So things are ok! My revised due date is January 13, and the baby looks great. S/he even seemed to be waving at us. Incredible. The technician asked me if we were having any genetic screening, and I told her no. When you are 35 and pregnant, you get labeled ADVANCED MATERNAL AGE, which I hate. Advanced Maternal Age (AMA) means you are at slightly increased risk of delivering a baby with chromosomal abnormalities, especially Down Syndrome.

I had my first prenatal appointment at my doctor's office (family practice clinic) and the doctor told me I had to have genetic counseling, which made me mad. I had decided that I would decline, and I'm not having an amniocentesis, either. I understand the value, but I think the risk is too high. And it would just serve to make me a wreck throughout the remainder of my pregnancy. We are having this baby no matter what, so I don't think being panicked and worried for six more months would be a good idea.

I switched back to my nurse midwives at Illinois Masonic, and they believe in women making their own choices about their birth experiences, etc. So I didn't have to worry about being pressured for genetic counseling any further. Plus I love my nurse midwives -- they just seem more relaxed and have more time to spend with you. They aren't as rushed as doctors always seem to be.

I need to fix my little baby widget -- it seems to be a few days off. But I can't figure out how to do that without starting over. Too much trouble. So it says I'm 12 weeks pregnant, but I'm actually 13 weeks pregnant. In case you are interested.

Our next ultrasound is August 26 -- then we'll find out if we are having a boy or a girl. I know people like to be surprised, and I completely understand the benefit, but we like to know. It was really fun being able to talk to Emiko and use her name while she was inside me.

We have been working on picking out names. So far we haven't agreed on any. We have gotten most of our names from watching "Ultimate Ninja" or "Unbeatable Banzuke" game shows on cable. "Ultimate Ninja" is on Spike TV, and "Unbeatable Banzuke" is on G4. They are both very entertaining -- that's pretty much all we watch these days. At any rate, once we know the sex, we'll really start working on names.

If you have a favorite Japanese name you wish to share with us, do tell!